Smells incredibly dusty and musty, with some slight medicinal funk underlying that. As it warms, a little bright/tart acidity begins to prickle the nose.

The beer tastes sort of dusty and old at first, with just a tinge of tartness on the finish. As it opens up, the palate becomes brighter and fresher, with notes of lemon, lime, orange and berries. The sourness also becomes slightly more intense and a leathery Brett flavor kicks in at the end, along with a very slight cheesy funk.

There's a reason this is a benchmark geueze. It's deep and complex, but also fun and approachable (my wife loves this beer and she's far from a sour beer geek).

Pours a golden orange colour, with a small head full of tiny bubbles. YThere's always a ring on the top and a tear lace. Aroma of grapes, citrics, wood, cider, cellar, notes of apple, sour. Medium body, crispy and creamy palate, fizzy carbonation. Taste is sour, there's citrics, grapes, wood, cider, notes of apples. Great.

Pours a golden orange/yellow with a small white head. Initial smell was big on the funk, was my favorite part of the experience. Taste is slightly fruity(apples for me) and a pleasant tart finish that doesn't make me want to bring out the heartburn meds.

I think this is the perfect "starter" gueuze as it is not overly sour. Would have again.

Smell is candied fruit, white wine grapes, green apple, and just a hint of funk. Taste is some honey sweetness, lemon peel, citrus, stone fruit, and a mild tartness with a dry finish. A good gueuze, especially on an insanely hot day.

Sour apples. Yes that simple and that delicious. The pour is a very pretty, hazy thick golden yellow. Aroma is vanilla, taste is sour bitter apples. Like biting into the crazy sour crabapples fresh from the tree at my grandparents in south Jersey as a kid. Overall outstanding, will have again.

Bright shiny copper color penny colored with a touch of haziness. There's a fingernail of off white around part of the rim. I smell hints of pear and faint green apple. I taste pear, faint peach, and a touch of green apple. The mouth is very dry, a touch acidic, crisp, and quite refreshing.

Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene
Bottle stamped LA22NGC. DFH Tulip.
Appearance (3.25): Pours a bright, full gold, crystal clear, with ample carbonation. One finger bubbly white head quickly recedes to a thick frothy skim on the surface. Second pour contained some yeast sediment, turning the beer slightly cloudy, with a couple of loose chunks of yeast floating about. Not much lacing to speak of, and the retention was kind of poor, too.

Smell (3.5): Smells “beery,” like an American Adjunct lager, but with a touch of sourness, and something vinous, almost like champagne. A little noble hop aroma, too, spicy like Saaz, but that is faint. Not really getting the horse or barnyard aromas, but I am getting a funky smell; it is far less off-putting or intense than I expected in that respect.

Taste (4.5): Wow. That tastes like super dry champagne. Tart arrival, but not acidic in the way a vinegar is acidic; more like champagne or wine. Moderate sourness continues through mid-palate, with a salty and quite refreshing middle, and a little hint of medicinal hop just barely pops in to say hello right before the swallow. Turning ever so slightly bitter at the end, with a lingering, white wine-like tartness. I don’t get the horse/goat/barnyard/funk that I was expecting. The only other beer that I have had that was supposed to have those characteristics was Sorachi Ace, and it did have them, and I found it disgusting. This on the other hand, is lovely.

Mouthfeel (4.5) Decidedly light, perhaps on the heavier side of light. Quite actively carbonated – continuing with the “this tastes like Champagne” trend of my review. Clean as can be on the finish. Definite “puckering” quality.

Overall (4.5): I know what I’m drinking on New Year ’s Eve 2017! In terms of appearance and taste, this really gets low points for the style. The head did not last long at all, and there was virtually no lacing. Perhaps my glass had some residual soap or something. As for taste, it was not overwhelmingly tart, but didn’t have much in terms of the barnyard characteristics, which I suppose is off for the style, but is good for me. All told, this was spectacular, and I would be glad to drink it again, at the soonest opportunity. I am becoming a fan of sours.

Neophytes to the style should definitely give this gueuze a try. It hits on a lot of the hallmarks one should look for, and it isn't that hard to find.

Pours mostly clear orange, a touch of haze, color is well saturated. Head forms easily and recedes just as quick. Aromas of wildflower, musty hay and grass, funky past ripe orchard fruit, some grape skin. Tartness is really nice, puckering but still in balance so as to not cause the heartburn reaction some folks experience when drinking a sour beer. The finish is very dry, smooth as silk. Carbonated well, making this a really refreshing drink, especially at 5.5% which means you won't get into trouble if you drink an entire bottle. A great gueuze to have on hand for others to try.

Pours a rather hazy, golden orange color. One finger of quickly dissipating head. Light and fluffy.

Aroma is of lactic acid, leather, citrus, barnyard, and bit of funk.

I really enjoy the taste of the beer. Highly carbonated, with a moderate amount of tartness. Solid amount of funkiness with predominate leather notes, and some green apple skin. This beer is very smooth and complex.

Overall, this is a fantastic beer and well descriptive of the style. It is very well-balanced with both tartness and funkiness. I see this pairing well with a more astringent cheese maybe an aged cheddar. It gets a 93/100.